cliff. just 31 days left until we hit those $7 trillion in automatic spending cuts and tax increases if negotiations break down. and both sides of the aisle are going straight to the public in order to plead their case, or rather tell us why the other side is to blame. this is president obama in his weekly radio address. >> both parties say we should keep middle class taxes low. the senate has already passed a bill to keep income taxes from going up on middle class families. democrats in the house are ready to do the same thing. and if we can just get a few house republicans onboard, i'll sign this bill as soon as congress sends it my way. but it's unacceptable for some republicans in congress to hold middle class tax cuts hostage simply because they refuse to let tax rates go up on the wealthiest americans. >> in the republican response, senator orrin hatch takes th s hostage metaphor one step further and brings to mind a memorable movie scene. >> unfortunately, some on the other side of th